Gulotta, the former chef de cuisine under John Besh at August, opens his first restaurant Saturday (Jan. 11).

It's called MoPho (yes, Gulotta's mother hates the name). Despite being in a Mid-City strip mall, surrounded by glowing signs for Subway and Burger King, MoPho has a sophisticated downtown atmosphere. And its menu is a product of a highly-skilled chef riffing on Southeast Asian cuisine but not too worried about authenticity.

MoPho held a "friends and family" preview on Thursday (Jan. 9). Some of the friends slurping Sazerac bubble teas or devouring bowls of pho with oxtail or head cheese included co-owner of restaurant August Octavio Mantilla, that restaurant's pastry chef Kelly Fields, Domenica's chef Alon Shaya and Root's manager Maximilian Ortiz.